In July 2006, the Indian government announced that Russia would build 3 “stealth warships” for India under a Rs 5114 crore (INR 51.14 billion, then about $1.1 billion) contract signed in New Delhi. The contract actually covers 3 modified Krivak III/ Talwar Class frigates, as a follow-on to an earlier $900 million purchase in 1997.

The Krivak III/ Talwar Class ships like INS Tabar are not really stealth warships, esp. by comparison to more modern designs like Singapore’s new Formidable Class frigates from France (a Lafayette Class derivative). They’re best described as mid-range multi-role frigates, with some stealth features and a potential emphasis on anti-submarine work. By mid-2013 they had all been commissioned by the Indian Navy.

There was a time when USS Enterprise was the most famous ship in the world. It still is, but these days, most people think of the fictional starship rather than the world’s first nuclear-powered carrier. The real USS Enterprise was commissioned in 1961, which means that its long career of service must soon draw to a close. In April 2008, a $453.3 million contract covered the ship’s Extended Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability for maintenance and upgrades – but reached over $660 million before all was said and done, and took 2 years.

That kept “the Big E” going for a couple more years, but it could only delay the inevitable. 2012 saw the ship’s last mission come to an end, and by 2014, USS Enterprise is scheduled to fade into history, to be replaced by the first ship [CVN 78] of the Gerald R. Ford Class. This time, there will be no reruns or syndication deals. When the end comes, plans and facilities for permanently decommissioning the ship and dealing with its A2W nuclear reactors will need to be ready.

Forecast Me Not

IHS Jane’s is making the bold prediction that aggregated Asian defense budgets will supersede North America’s by 2021. Maybe. They don’t share their methodology but from their release it appears that by “forecast” they mean “project recent past trends for straight 8 years regardless of likely disruptions.” Whether China, India or Russia will really be able to grow as much as Jane’s analysts expect is subject to financial constraints and social difficulties of a different nature, but probably as strong as in the West. The IISS came up with an even bolder scenario a few months ago, but defense budget forecasts 10 years out have a tendency to end up widely off the mark.

TML’s work with the US military began in July of 2007, via a request by the US Army to design 3 new man-portable EOD robot systems with a 4-axis arms, video display OCU, multiple cameras, swappable batteries and chargers, all of which had to weigh under 35 pounds. Those MMP-15 systems were finalized and shipped by the end of October 2007, and saw use in Iraq. The follow-on MMP-30 touts itself as a “bare bones simple but rugged machine.”

That seems to be a strong selling point for a country like Afghanistan, with few technical support and repair resources. The MMP-30 also appears to be cheaper than the MTRS robots, which boast more versatility thanks a wider range of add-ons.

US Acquisition Undersecretary Frank Kendall received [PDF] 90+ proposals from 50+ American companies interested in joint projects with India. He wants to remain realistic given India’s preference for local production:

“We will carefully assess a number of factors, including the degree of co-production and co-development involved, the likelihood of Indian interest, and the probability of approval for release of the technology involved.”

The office opened just days ago by the Taliban in Qatar to start peace negotiations used several signs of a nation state, including floating the flag they used when they held power in Afghanistan. They agreed to lower their profile on Sunday, but that is a telling opening positioning vs. the current official government, less than a year before presidential elections. Symbols matter.

Sometimes, a basic improvement opens up entirely new opportunities. Raytheon’s one-piece M982 Excalibur rocket-boosted, GPS-guided shells are costly, but they offer the kind of accuracy that has made artillery relevant again on Small Wars battlefields. Overall accuracy is currently touted as being within 4 meters 90% of the time (3m or less CEP), and the US military recently began buying Block Ib shells. At the same time, the firm is starting to face competition from less accurate but cheaper drop-in solutions like ATK’s PGK, and the wars that propelled Excalibur sales are winding down. What to do?

Part of Raytheon’s response involves a self-funded program to create a new dual-mode GPS/ Semi-Active Laser guidance and navigation unit (GNU) for the Block Ib. Adding the ability to attack moved or moving land targets adds a lot of flexibility on the battlefield, and retains Excalibur’s unique positioning. It also creates entirely new opportunities for Raytheon at sea.

Japan is a trading and shipping power, so it isn’t unreasonable for them to be very concerned about mines. Helicopters are an important adjunct to Japan’s large fleet of 25+ minesweeping ships, and can even serve as a substitute in some situations. Japan’s fleet of 11 MCH-101 airborne mine counter-measures helicopters are closely derived from AgustaWestland’s 3-engined AW101 heavy maritime helicopter, and most are being built in Japan under license by Kawasaki. Mission equipment will include the AN/AQS-24A mine hunting side scan sonar, the AN/AES-1 airborne laser mine detection system, and the MK-104 acoustic minesweeping system.

ECH-101s have good range, and can operate from shore. As an alternative, they can be embarked aboard Japanese ships, especially the JMSDF’s 19,000 ton Hyuga Class “helicopter destroyers” (LPH anywhere else).